Grain-back



G. S. SOWERS.

GRAIN RACK.

Patented Oct. 28, H919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

[Nl/EN TOR.

ATTORNEY APPLKIATION FILED FEB.18I919. Lfw.

THE COLUMBIA PLANOGYl/(PH CON 'ASHINTON, D. C,

G. S. SGI/VERS.

GRAIN RACK.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. IU, l99.

INVENTOR. Gag o. S. Se Y m ATTORNEY 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Iatente @et 28, IMIS.

WITNESS;

"ED STATES PATENT FFICE.

GEORG-E S. SOWERS, OF SPRING- HILL, KANSAS.

GRAIN-RACK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 28, 1919.

Application led February 18. 1919. Serial No. 277.793.

for use in the hauling of headed grain, and to this end I have devised a form of rack which comprises removable side bars at each side, and each of the side bars equipped with screening or equivalent material for spanning the spaces between the side bars and more eifectively retaining the load of material which the invention is especially designed to handle.

It is also sought to devise a construction including provision for adapting the rack for convenient and practical use in connection with grain header machines, for which purpose the rack is suitably constructed to permit sections of the end frames of the rack to be swung out of the way of the elevator of the header machine and thereby readily clear the same. A. further feature in this connection is the provision of suitable means for temporarily retaining the side bars of the rack which are left unsupported by the movable sections of the end frames of the rack.

The invention further aims to provide a neat, compact and inexpensive structure of the type described, which will be not only strong, durable and efficient but also economical to manufacture,

`With these g'eneral objects in view, as well as minor objects which will appear in the course of the detailed description, the

invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings illust trating one form of embodiment of the improvements, after which the novel features thereof will be particularly set forth and defined in the appended claims.

In the drawings- Figure l is a perspective view of a grain rack embodying the present features of improvement;

Fig. 2 is an end elevation showing the rear end of the rack;

Fig. 3 is a sectional View of one corner of the rack illustrating the hinged construction of a portion of one of the end frames, the dotted lines representing the hinge sectioir in depending' position;

1g. is an enlarged sectional view of the hinge joint of one of the hinged sections of the "end frames and showing the section in upright position;

Fig. 5 is an. enlarged fragmentary detail view illustrating one of the pockets or brackets for retaining the ends of the side bars;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged perspective view showing one of the side bar retaining pins;

and

F ig. 7 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the relation in which the improved rack is designed to be used in connection with an ordinary type of grain header machine.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, these illustrate a grain rack comprising the rack bed 8 and the uprights or standards 10, 12, at the front and rear respectively of the bed 8. The corner uprights 10 and 12 are shown as provided with retaining pockets or brackets 14 for removably receiving the several side bars 16, all of which side bars, when not in use, may be nested in retaining pockets 18 provided at the several corners of the rack bed, all as set forti in my copending application Serial No. 239,280, filed June 10, 1918, and therefore forming no essential part of the present invention.

In the present improved construction I illustrate the ends of the side bars held in place in the pockets or brackets 14 by means of an improved form of retaining pin 2O (Fig. 6) having a pivoted gravity dog 22 which forms a key for locking the pin when inserted through the sides of the pocket la and the end of the rail, as shown in Fig. 5. For guarding against accidental loss or misplacement of the pins 20, they are each secured by a chain 24 to one of the cross strips 26 at the ends of the rack, these cross strips being provided with staples 28 or the like for suitable engagement with snap fasteners 30 at the ends of the chains 24.

The cross strips 26, in conjunction with the end uprights or standards 10 and 12, form end frames at the opposite ends of the rack, which end frames in the present case I line with screening or other suitable material 32 for the purpose of providing a light, a grainfproof .construction adapted cured to for the hauling of headed grain. Since the side bars 14 are also mounted in spaced relation at the opposite sides of the rack, and it is desired to make the sides of the rack also grain-proof while at the same time retaining the advantages of a light spacedrail structure, I provide each of these side bars with a depending strip of screen ma terial 34 of suitable strength and mesh and of a width adapted to span the space between each pair of adjoining side bars and in addi-tion overlap to a certain extent the inner face of the next lower side bar. These strips 34 may be tacked or otherwise sethe side bars 14 in any convenient manner.

In the use of the rack in connection with header machines, it is necessary to make some provision for the fact that the header elevator loverhangs the rack in inclined position, which of necessity interferes with maintaining both sides of the rack at the same full height. For this purpose I construct both of the end frames of the present rack with hinged sections at corresponding upper corners, as will be found clearly illustrated in Fig. 1. lThis construction involves making the corner uprights or standards 10 and 12, at this side of the rack, sectional and having their upper sections 10 and 12 connected by hinges 36 to the lower sections thereof; and eXtra intermediate uprights or standards 10 and 12 are employed at this side of the rack and made similarly sectional with their upper sections 10 and 12 also connected by hinges 36 to the lower or xed sections thereof. These two pairs of upper or movable sections 10 and 12 are each connected by separate cross strips 26', lined with the screening material 32, and thus in effect form hinged gate sections adapted to swing outwardly and downwardly about the axes of the hinges 36 into depending position, as illustrated in Fig. 1, and by the dotted lines in Fig. 3, thus affording ample clearance for the elevator 3S of the header machine 40, as indicated in the diagrammatic view shown in Fig. 7 of the drawings. In this position of the said hinged or gate sections, the upper side bars y16 at that side of the rack are deprived of their supporting means, and for this reason I provide a pair of retaining pockets 4'?J at the opposite side of the rack for temporarily supporting these side bars, said pockets 42 being carried at the upper opposite corners of the end frames (see Figs. 1 and 2).

In this connection I also provide each of the upper side bars rack with a pair of eyes 54 adapted for the reception of snap hooks 56 carried by the forked ends of a cable 58 suspended from one of the intermediate side bars 16, as many of these cables 58 being provided as there are side bars to be carried 16 at this side of theV by the hinged or.l

gate sections of the end frames (one only of said cables lbeing shown). By means of these cables the upper side bars may of course be carried in the lower retaining pockets 1S until their use is required, and then may be lifted by means of the cables 58V, after which the snap hooks 56 may be detached and tie cables allowed to dangle as indicated in Fig. 1. The forked cable and double snap hook arrangement enables the side bars to be properly balanced on lifting the same out of the pockets. With this provision the upper retaining pockets 42 may, if desired, be dispensed with.

For rigidly retaining the hinged gate sections of the end frames in upright position as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, I employ one or more latch bars 44 slidingly mounted in keepers 46 on the said hinged gate sections and adapted to engage with fixed keepers 48 on the end frames of the rack when the said sections are in upright position, said latch bars 44 being provided with stop elements 50 at opposite sides of the keepers 46 to prevent complete disengagement of the bars therefrom.

It will thus be apparent that I have provided an eiiicient and comparatively simple arrangement and construction for carrying out the desired purposes o-f the invention, the function and operation of the various parts of which will be readily understood without any extended explanation. The end frames of the rack being lined with the screen material 3:2, and the side bars being mounted with their screen strips 34 in partially overlapping relation, there results a complete rack structure which '1s both light and strong and yet permits of the hauling of headed grain with substantially the same efficiency, as regards retaining all the grain, as though the sides and ends of the rack were constructed entirely of boards fitted close together. rI lhe detachable mounting of the side bars, in conjunction with the retaining pockets 18, provides for varying the height of the sides of the rack to any desired eX- tent; and, when operating in connection with a header machine, the hinged sections of the end frames at one side of the rack provides full clearance for the elevator of the header at either of the ends of the rack, and enables the present improved rack to be employed in this connection in all respects as satisfactorily as an ordinary header barge, the construction of which has to be made of special form and shape for this purpose. When the hinged sections of the end frames are thus let down into inoperative position, the retaining pockets 42 afford convenient and easily accessible means for temporarily retaining those upper side bars which are ordinarily supported 'by said vhinged or gate sections.

While I have illustrated and described what I now regard as constituting the preferred form of construction for embodying the proposed improvements, I desire to reserve the right to make all such formal changes or modifications as may fairly fall within the scope of the following claims.

Having thus described the invention, what l'. claim as new and desire to secure by Letters-Patent, is:

l. A grain rack comprising a rack bed, corner standards carried by said bed, a series of side bars for each side of the rack, and means for detachably mounting the ends of said side bars in spaced relation at each side ol the rack1 each of said side bars being provided with screen material depending theretrom and spanning the space between it and the neXt lower side bar.

2. A grain rack comprising a rack bed, corner standards carried by said bed, a series of side bars for each side of the rack, means for detachably connecting the ends of said side bars to said standards for mounting the side bars in spaced relation at each side of the rack, and a separate strip of screen material carried by each side bar and depending therefrom in position to span the space between it and the neXt lower side bar and extending into overlapping relation to said lower side bar.

3. A grain rack comprising a rack bed, end standards carried by said bed, cross strips secured to said standards and forming therewith an upright end frame for said bed, one oi the upper corner portions of said end frame being formed as a hinged section adapted to be swung out of the plane of said end frame, and means for latching said hinged section in the plane or' the end frame.

4. A grain rack comprising a rack bed, end standards carried by the opposite ends of said bed, cross strips secured to said standards and forming therewith an upright end frame at each end of the bed, said frames being formed with hinged sections at corresponding upper corners adapted to be swung out of the planes of the end Jframes, and means for latching said hinged sections in the respective planes of said end frames.

5. A grain rack comprising a rack bed, end standards carried by the opposite ends of said bed, cross strips secured to said standards and forming therewith an upright end frame at each end of the bed, a pair of the standards of each of said end frames being formed in hinged sections permitting the upper ends of said standards to swing outwardly and downwardly into depending position, said upper ends of the standards carrying short cross strips separate from the remaining cross strips or' the end frames, and means for latching the upper ends of said standards in upright position.

6. A rack construction comprising a rack bed, end frames carried by said bed, a series of side bars for each side of the rack, means for detachably mounting said side bars on said end frames and in spaced relation at each side of the rack, each of said side bars being provided with screen material depending therefrom and spanning the space between it and the next lower side bar, said end frames being formed with hinged sections at corresponding upper corners adapted to be swung outward out of the planes of the end frames, and side bar retaining devices carried by the opposite upper corners of said end frames 'for temporarily supporting those side bars which are normally supported by said hinged sections when in the planes or' said end frames.

A grain rack comprising a rack bed, corner standards carried by said bed, a series of side bars for each side of the rack, brackets carried by said standards for removably engaging and supporting the ends of said side bars, means for removably receiving and retaining the side bars at the bottoms of said standards at opposite sides of the rack, and means including a forked cable and detachable snap fastenings adapted for detachable engagement with certain of the side bars for raising the same out of the retaining means into position for assembling said side bars in connection with said brackets.

In witness whereof I hereto affix my signature.

GEORGE S. SOWERS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

